While everyone is getting into the holiday spirit, the biggest MLB free agency news awaits. It’s expected that Shohei Ohtani will sign with a new team. The questions that remain are when he may sign and what team he is going to sign with. Both of those may have an answer sooner rather than later. According to reports from Jon Morosi, Ohtani is likely to decide next week.

Another report from Jeff Passan states that the deal may reach over $500 million. When Shohei Ohtani signs with a new team it will be the most pivotal day of the 2023-24 offseason. With the Winter Meetings occurring from Dec. 3-6, its likely that a deal with Ohtani could come after the meetings. The free agency market for the two-way players had held up the rest of the market.

Teams that have been known as suitors have included the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs. The Red Sox were a suitor but recently shifted their focus to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Texas Rangers and New York Mets also stepped back from the sweepstakes. It could be either that the bidding got too high for these teams or that Ohtani’s camp indicated that they wouldn’t be amongst the final picking. Though, its still unclear as to whether or not any mystery teams are in the mix. It’s been reported that Shohei may not be part of the plans for the Seattle Mariners, who have a rich history with Japanese players. Though, still star players in Seattle are still pitching for Ohtani to come to the Pacific Northwest.

Where would you like to see Shohei Ohtani land?

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